| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Monroe, Mt. Franklin, Mt. Eisenhower, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Gulfside, Westside Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Eisenhower Loop, Edmands Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, July 7, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at the Cog Railway base station at 8:15 AM. At 5 PM, there were four cars in the Edmands Path trailhead on Mt. Clinton Road, and an equal number parked along the road (carefully to avoid the No Parking signs). Mt. Clinton Road is rough, with lots of potholes and bumps, but still driveable. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Abenaki Brook on Edmands Path was an easy rock hop. No other crossings. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One or two blowdowns on Edmands Path. Massive erosion and drainage issues on Edmands Path - the comments in old WMGs about how it had smooth footing seem a distant memory. Signs are all in place. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Only saw a few. The rocks above treeline can really hurt dogs, and there's not much water either. |
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 | Bugs: |
They were around, but they didn't bother me. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
A dark blue fleece/sweater of some sort was on a rock on the southern half of Mt. Eisenhower Loop. Not knowing if someone had left it there to pick it up later, I did not touch it. |
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 | Comments: |
After several previous failed attempts, I was finally able to hike Crawford Path between Eisenhower and LotC Hut. And what a day for it - mostly clear (at least where I was) and only light winds (again, at least where I was - a group of hikers I met on Eisenhower said the winds were fierce at 6 AM).
I parked at the Cog Railway and took it to the summit of Washington. On the way up, I chatted with a couple from Florida who were vacationing here - they were enjoying New Hampshire, though they were a bit apprehensive about how high up we were. Finding very good visibility and only light winds at the summit of Washington when we got there, I began my hike, descending Gulfside, which is rough and rocky though not abnormally so for an above-treeline trail. Westside Trail had several sections that were carefully "paved" with flat-ish rocks - those were very helpful, and quite a contrast to the extremely rough Gray Knob Trail a few days ago! Crawford Path heading down to the Hut is also rocky but has a few paved sections as well. Filled up with water at the Hut.
Crawford Path between the Hut and the top of Mt. Franklin's ridge is a stunning trail - easy grades, footing that's somewhat rocky but better than most above-treeline trails, and incredible views. Mt. Monroe Loop (from the south side) first ascends Little Monroe steeply on talus - there's no one obvious route up, so just choose whichever route up the steep talus looks easiest. Then the trail loses a little bit of elevation before ascending up more talus to Monroe. After Monroe, the next bit of Crawford Path has just minor ups and downs. There's a side path to the summit of Mt. Franklin, though it isn't signed as such and the only sign at the junction is for Crawford Path. But the spur to Franklin is easy and worth it. The descent down to the base of Eisenhower was rocky and ledgy though not terrible. The portion of Crawford Path going around Eisenhower is rough in places but... not as bad as Gray Knob! That was my last segment of Crawford Path for redlining; it felt good to finally complete the oldest continuously maintained trail in America. The climb up the south side of Eisenhower Loop is steep in places but not too bad, and nicely maintained with no talus. The descent down the north side is more gradual near the top, and steeper and rockier with switchbacks closer to the bottom.
Having done Edmands Path once before, in 2017, it was very sad to see how it has deteriorated since then. Except for the lower mile, the trail is honestly kind of a mess - very eroded and rocky, lots of bedrock slabs, and a lot of wetness for most of the trail as well - those bedrock slabs were all wet and slippery today. It doesn't seem to be receiving any maintenance - most of the water bars have failed, there was unmitigated erosion in lots of places, and hikers have been forced to make herd paths around the bedrock slabs. It's very unfortunate since the trail apparently used to be quite smooth. Whichever organization is in charge of maintaining Edmands Path needs to get out and actually, you know, maintain it.
When I finally reached the bottom of Edmands Path, I didn't have a vehicle there - my idea was to see if some other hikers could drive me back to the Cog Railway base station, since it wasn't too far away. There weren't too many vehicles still at the trailhead, but I didn't have to wait long before a few young women popped out of the trail into the parking area. It was an interesting situation - I asked them, but they were understandably hesitant about allowing a male stranger (i.e. me) to get in their car. One of the women had their own car, so it was ultimately arranged that they would bring me to the Base Station but take both cars to ensure their safety. Of course, everything was fine, but it really got me thinking. I completely understand why they were so hesitant about driving me, and they were perfectly justified in that. It's sad how the small minority of men who are obnoxious and/or predatory have ruined things for the large majority of men who are honest and polite. But, unfortunately, that just seems to be how society is.
Saw plenty of people on the trails, doing all sorts of hikes - from out-and-backs to Monroe or Eisenhower to Prezi Traverses. Weather was better than expected. Fun day today! |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-07-07 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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